Re-Using Yeast Question

[hbhudy]

I have a recipe that calls for US-04 and I have an English Bitter that used 04 ready to transfer to secondary. I have ready threads saying you can dump the wort right on top of the trub/yeast cake on the bottom of the original primary, but I have some questions.
#1 do you simply aerate the wort and dump the wort into the original primary?
#2 should I be concerned about the gunk at the top of the primary from the orignal brew
#3 could I add some boiled water to the orignal primary and give it a good swirl and then dump that into the other primary

I understand reusing the yeast left at the bottom in the trub/cake can be done, but the details are still not completely clear for me.
HB.

 

[Surly]

I have a recipe that calls for US-04 and I have an English Bitter that used 04 ready to transfer to secondary. I have ready threads saying you can dump the wort right on top of the trub/yeast cake on the bottom of the original primary, but I have some questions.
#1 do you simply aerate the wort and dump the wort into the original primary?
#2 should I be concerned about the gunk at the top of the primary from the orignal brew
#3 could I add some boiled water to the orignal primary and give it a good swirl and then dump that into the other primary

I understand reusing the yeast left at the bottom in the trub/cake can be done, but the details are still not completely clear for me.
HB.

A recent brew day found me in the same position as you. I opted for #3 and through the course of the day washed up my yeast and pitched a slurry. Mr. Malty can help you out on pitching rates.

 

[hbhudy]

How long does the yeast washing take? I only have a few hourse for the whole project. If I wash the yeast and break it down into a quart and then 2 pints, can I simply pour one pint into the new batch? I am not the greatest with calculating pitch rates.

 

[MetallHed]

i just read this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/why-not-pitch-your-yeast-cake-166221/

 

[schweaty]

A lot of folks around here have repitched onto a yeast cake with great results. There are pro/cons to the practice but there is nothing wrong with it. #3 sounds like a good idea if you're in a pinch or you could just spend the extra $3.00 and get a new packet of yeast.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

How long does the yeast washing take? I only have a few hourse for the whole project. If I wash the yeast and break it down into a quart and then 2 pints, can I simply pour one pint into the new batch? I am not the greatest with calculating pitch rates.

Getting ready to wash the yeast takes longer than washing. it really is very simple to do. There is a picture thread on here somewhere that shows how to do it. I opted for sanitizing my jars rather than boiling them, but I did boil and cool my water that I used............... Anyway boil a gallon of water and let it cool to room temp......rack your beer to secondary and pour the boiled and cooled water into your primary and swirl it around really well.....let it set undisturbed for about ten mimutes and you will see it seperate and trub on the bottom ......pour off the liquid into a CLEAN AND SANITIZED jar and do not disturb the trub.....let this jar set for about ten or 20 minutes and again pour the liquid off of the trub. At this point you could just pour the liquid into your new batch of beer( I am clueless about pitching rates but I would guess a quart would be about right...., Now you can take the other half gallon or so and pour it into small sanitized jars and set it in the fridge for use later. Make a starter with each one and you have a ready supply of s-04 yeast

 

[Revvy]

Getting ready to wash the yeast takes longer than washing. it really is very simple to do. There is a picture thread on here somewhere that shows how to do it. I opted for sanitizing my jars rather than boiling them, but I did boil and cool my water that I used............... Anyway boil a gallon of water and let it cool to room temp......rack your beer to secondary and pour the boiled and cooled water into your primary and swirl it around really well.....let it set undisturbed for about ten mimutes and you will see it seperate and trub on the bottom ......pour off the liquid into a CLEAN AND SANITIZED jar and do not disturb the trub.....let this jar set for about ten or 20 minutes and again pour the liquid off of the trub. At this point you could just pour the liquid into your new batch of beer( I am clueless about pitching rates but I would guess a quart would be about right...., Now you can take the other half gallon or so and pour it into small sanitized jars and set it in the fridge for use later. Make a starter with each one and you have a ready supply of s-04 yeast

In a pinch I've washed with a couple of sealed, storebought gallons of distilled water. Saves time having to boil it. And if it's sealed, it's more than likely sterile...